Ru Yujin learns another technique because he can

"Junior Sister Jie Xun, did you want something?"

She nodded, lowering her eyes. "Oh, you even remember me, Senior Brother Yujin. Listen… Well, I just wanted to say I'm glad you got yourself a better teacher. And that I'm sorry Junior Sister Fu Zhou ended like she did. Sometimes I wonder if I looked at her too hard one time and she really got cursed! Um. Anyway, best wishes and I will stop talking before Senior Brother Fen Kuang gets too angry."

"Junior Sister Jie Xun, if you don't show satisfying progress in learning the Ice Cutter technique, I won't forgive you because Senior Brother Lin Tan's disciple was the one who distracted you!"

"I'm sorry, Senior Brother Fen!"

"Thank you, Junior Sister Jie Xun," I said, stepping away from her. These were nice words.

One could say they were too little, too late, or even an attempt to curry favor with me. However, I felt Jie Xun's sincerity.

For a minute I stood at the corner of the training ground, watching disciples train. The clan-born disciples were practicing something complex and flashy with Death Qi, which I couldn't grasp heads or tails of. The rest were doing a much simpler Water technique.

I watched Jie Xun turn to the training dummy and raise her palm. Qi gathered in the meridians on her fingers, and over twenty seconds slowly turned blue. Slow, and the resulting brightness was only as good as what I did without trying.

Also, from the position of Jie Xun's fingers, I could already guess what Jie Xun was doing wrong.

With a "Hhha!", Jie Xun swung her palm, and a puff of icy energy flew out of it, turning water from the nearby air into mist. It was just like during my first failed attempts at using the Water Flower technique.

With a pout, she scowled at her hand.

Other disciples near Jie Xun had similar degrees of success.

"Pathetic. Pathetic! It's Ice Cutter, not Ice Mist, disgraces!" Fen Kuang ranted. "Watch my example again!"

He turned to a dummy and flicked his wrist. Although he was acting quickly, I was close enough to see the exact way he moved his Water Qi. A meter-wide crescent-shaped blade of icy energy flew from it, cutting the dummy square in the chest and leaving a rime-covered gouge in metal.

I clicked my tongue. Well, if I planned to shock and awe everyone, why not start now?

I stepped to an unused training dummy and gathered Water Qi in my fingers. Like before, I could almost imagine the end result, and thanks to Fen Kuang's demonstration, I knew what it had to be.

I flicked my wrist, and an Ice Cutter half a meter wide flew at the dummy, hitting its head. Worse than Fen Kuang's, but it was only my first attempt. I tried again, moving my fingers slightly differently, and the blade became wider and brighter.

The disciples next to me stopped what they were doing and gaped. Fen Kuang looked shocked, too, but quickly collected himself.

"Ignore him! You aren't here to gawk, disciples!"

Reluctantly, the disciples looked back at their dummies.

I practiced the Ice Cutter technique five more times before I felt that my head dantian, from where I took Qi for it, was entirely spent. By that point, my Ice Cutters were as good as Fen Kuang's, and the only tricky part was aiming them.

Really, what had all these disciples found hard and awe-worthy? I just had to gather some Qi and make a gesture—a monkey could do it!

Literally—there were monkeys and other animals that cultivated instinctively. They were called magical beasts and the Rage Wolves the Lin clan captured for its trials were an example of a Qi Shaping level magical beast.

I approached Jie Xun again. She looked up at me in wonder.

"Brother Yujin! Were you learning the Ice Cutter technique since the New Year festival? We have been—but I still can barely grasp it…"

"It's like the Water Flower technique we studied, Junior Sister. The crescent blade is like one large, energy-filled flower petal. A flower must be held gently, and so is an Ice Cutter. But your fingers are all tense, Junior Sister. Give me your hand."

She blinked dumbly, but obeyed, and I manually put her fingers in the correct position.

"Like that. Now try it, Junior Sister Jie Xun."

She nodded and turned to the target dummy. While Jie Xun charged her attack, I could've used three more Ice Cutters and trained my aim… Oh well, I had some time to spare. If I didn't, I wouldn't be spending it to help Jie Xun.

She wasn't a bad kid, and maybe one day she will remember that favor and cover my back from danger.

Eventually, Jie Xun flicked her fingers. This time, instead of a cloud of mist, an actual crescent blade flew from her palm. It was too wide and blurry, dissipating entirely after only three meters, but that was progress.

"Yeah! I'm getting it!" Jie Xun cheered, then bowed to me. "Thank you a lot, Brother Yujin. I will owe you for this!"

I smiled at her with the air of humility and generosity that, from my knowledge, only guilt-tripped people into being more grateful.

"Owe five minutes of your time, maybe. I only spent that much, Junior Sister Xun. Besides, you haven't actually made an Ice Cutter yet. Anyway, I'd rather go before Senior Brother Fen decides to punish you. If our fates are connected, we will meet again."

I still had manuals to read.